7 Ways to Good Design…

Interior Design is like any other art form…is such a personal expression.  Some create their homes with basic needs in mind, they look at their home simply as a shelter or a refuge from the world.  A home that is gathered with family items usually pieces that are dated and well past the “normal” wear and tear usage.   Then you have those that like to decorate with a very status quo esthetic.  Their homes have that  “hey…look I like to shop at all the same place’s that everybody else does so that I don’t look too showy or pretentious.”

The final category are for those that like to have their homes be the “over stylized glamourized emporium’s”.  Their room’s are usually a showplace that says…”hey look at me I’m a success!”   They represent a certain taste level that either the designer felt was appropriate at the time it was created, or perhaps they were thinking “this is what I liked when I walked into the closest furniture showroom”.

Those who usually DIY-it…usually feel that their taste is so much better than any “designer” can come up with-and have a great deal of pride knowing that they  saved a lot of money too.  Perhaps thinking “not only I’m a designer-but I’m smart too!”

Furniture showroom’s or design studios can be very beautiful and attention grabbing, we all can be captivated by a beautiful room they can be very inspiring.  So whether your style is slick and modern with a need for minimalism, or high traditional with a wide selection of fabrics with trims, pillow collections, and ginger jars.  I feel true interior design is a collection of elements that can literally be a 3D piece of art and like with all art-it is subjective.  Because what I like…someone else may despise.

So what separates good design from bad?  Well…that is the age old question.  It’s not that creating a basic room with pretty things is bad design.  Determining good design is more of a question of how you feel in that room.  So many homes fall into those basic categories that I have already discussed:

Basic Needs-Utilitarian Décor-No style or substance.

Classic Suburban Status Quo “I shop there too…we have so much in common!”

Highly Stylized Glamourized Emporiums-Please do not touch anything and for gosh sakes if you have to sit there…make it quick.  Because I will need to fluff that pillow again.  These EMPORIUM’s can be “designer” induced inspirations…or an individual’s compilation of self mutilation by bad taste singing the cliché phrase of “but look how much I saved.”

Either way the question at hand is what makes good design?  Huge-huge question…so my answer is of course multi-layered:

• Comfort
• Welcoming
• Stylish
• Interesting
• Attention to Detail
• Warmth
• Collected

Well designed rooms are more than a pretty room…a well designed room evokes a feeling of WELCOME, come in, and sit for awhile.  That is why with so many taste levels and style preferences you see why it is difficult to say what is good design and what is bad.

My personal favorite to live in…is a bohemian inspired, with a collected-eclectic vibe…wow that is a mouthful.  Here are some pictures of some commercial and residential designs that have a very unique vibe.  These kind of environments make me happy!   I love a room where I can’t stop looking around…taking it all in.  Where I want to touch and discover something new and unique at every turn.  Those environments tell me that who ever created this…is interesting and very creative, and I need to know them.  “Pretty” rooms, say nothing about who lives there…or maybe it does…and that might be “that I don’t really have much to say”.

This is a fresh, new, and exciting-detailed and inviting all at the same time commercial space.  Real plants are huge again, love the mix of new and vintage furniture pieces combined, and the use of scale large and small…excellent job!

Loving the teal tile in classic hex pattern and the factory styled windows.  Personally the table (perhaps a gray marble) and rug could have been slicker…I know everyone’s a critique.

Loving the thrift art…personally I would done a lot more…perhaps a whole wall in the back!

Use of color…BRAVO…arrangement needs to be on left of the mantle!  Always start with highest element on the left…we read left to right.

Maybe that is the reason that I have always preferred to be called a Home Stylist versus an Interior Designer, a room needs to have a sense of STYLE to evoke interest…not just pretty fabric.

Thanks for stopping by!

Inspire

Can I get some help online please?

Absolutely!  In fact everywhere you go on the internet…someone is bringing you another unique avenue to acquire a fabulous new and shiny something or other.  Because we as consumer’s feel that we don’t have enough something or others, and for a small sum that new shiny something or other, will totally change your life and miraculously be the answer that you have been looking for.

This prostitution of goods and services is running amuck in the home décor world these days.

The online competition for pricing these fabulous home goods…made my life HE%# as a Interior Designer at a firm here in Dallas.  Clients calling you daily stating…”well I just saw it online for…”  Seriously?

With Polyvore, Joss and Main, One King’s Lane all being ushered in by the Grandfather’s of online shopping experience creator’s like Overstock.com, Ebay (yes Ebay) and so many more.  This is now the “go to” avenue for most consumer’s to select items for their home.  Period THE END!

With furniture, rugs and art flying off the web into those bursting brown trucks…those poor driver’s…to be delivered to your door faster than you gather up the kid’s and grab the diaper bag.

No wonder the next step up is…INTERIOR DESIGN R US.  Yep…you can now get someone to pull all of that stuff together, and make a lovely presentation board for you for a very small sum of around $80.00!

Introducing…HAVENLY!

I state all of this quite sardonically,  because being a business owner at one time…I always applaud a great business model.  In fact in one of my many past lives I was a photo-stylist/set designer and I even incorporated a similar type of service in my own business.  I used call it e*design, I would review pictures that people would email me of their room or rooms; and would critique what they could do to improve that space.

E*design or virtual interior design is definitely the wave of the future.  I believe in this very strongly.   People need convenience and simplicity, and this is another way of obtaining it.  Power on Havenly!

 

 

 

Design, Decorate but Style Trumps All…

No matter what you like Traditional, Modern, Rustic, Transitional, Bohemian all of these forms of interior expression’s can be uniquely your own.

Some people can find comfort in all of these style’s…while some may just like partial elements of  each of these style directions.   Then you have the others that can be totally repelled by the mere sight of these décor directions.

Some will prefer color…while others will prefer neutrals.

No matter what your desire…the ONE thing that all these avenues must have…is a form of STYLE!

Because this is what truly makes a house a home…their own personal STYLE…imprinted all over it.

If not…your just warehousing furniture.

Along with the fact that most are just warehousing their furniture…another area of home décor that seems to get lost…is accessory placement.

Some can do this correctly…while most just gather and place.

So people the moral of this little story…is hire, hire, and yes hire an expert to help you pull things together to create a great look for your home.  Your home should be a place of rest and rejuvenation, not a place that just holds a bed and sofa…a place to sit and sleep.  If you can’t find anyone in your area then email:

SIMPLEHOMESTYLING@gmail.com

because they do “house calls” all around the country…to help you with your decorating dilemma’s.  Email them today for help and pricing.

 

 

 

 

Gorgeous Greens…

The many shades of GREEN…

 

The 90’s brought SAGE to the forefront…then came the CHARTREUSE era…now it is time for EMERALD to shine!

What I’m Obsessing Over This Week…

Lacquer walls…

Here the lacquer walls are in the 2015 color of the year…Marsala!

So move over wallpaper…plain paint is just so “plain”…so lacquer it…baby!  Not an easy venture…many layers of sealant!

But the look undeniable!!!

Philosophy of a design(er)…

Homes have a visual story to tell and designers have been trained to help create that vision.  When you’re starting to research your own personal wow factor for your home, some may find it easy-while others may struggle.

It is very easy to feel over whelmed by the amount of choices one needs to make within a single room, let alone an entire home.   So instead of tackling the many elements and layers alone or asking your neighbors and distant cousins what they think.  The best way to start off any project right-is by consulting a designer.

In today’s do-it-yourself, and “I-got-it” standpoints we feel that we can do it all and without any outside help from others!  I understand that there is great amount of satisfaction that comes from completing projects on your own.  But there can be just as many reasons that you may also need to have someone step in and give you that OBJECTIVE opinion.  There is a BIG difference between just placing the sofa in the usual location with the appropriate adjoining chair: versus creating a presence or an atmosphere within that same given room.

The philosophy of design is more than creating a basic pretty room.  The end result should be a room that feels like it was pulled together with time and a discerning eye.  So many people are needing design direction but once that information is given they totally disregard it.   Yes, I understand that there’re many variables that come into play when designing a room.  Such as each other’s personal taste, or perhaps having a preconceived idea of what you thought the room should look like-then the designer taking you in a totally different direction.  But what you really need to do is be able to do is TRUST!

So how can you as a potential client get the best design direction when working with a designer on a design project?

1. By being OPEN and stating the budget up front is the most important piece of information to share. A designer can help you at all budget levels, just be open to the fact that if your budget is on the smaller size that the designer might only be available to help you on a consulting basis.

2. Mutual RESPECT for all ideas shared by both the designer and the client. Especially knowing that time has been spent researching fabrics, frame styles and room layouts for each room assigned.

3. Be REALISTIC, so many times people have unrealistic ideas of working with a designers and what their money can buy. If your budget is tight then start with the basics…bed, sofa, chairs…etc.  Then with time layer in the accessories and art.

4. We as a designers have the ability to visualize because we have designed hundreds of rooms. So TRUST is something that must occur. If the design is good…but you do not like a specific aspect of that design such as the colors selected…that can be changed.  But as much as we have our finger on the pulse of design.  Each room must be to your own taste and direction.  There have been times when the client has insisted on a certain look over-riding the designer, only then to question something when completed.

5. The last one is we help you to SAVE TIME and MONEY. We work as your liaison between contractors to save you money and aggravation.  We shop a global market place to bring you the buying power to bring and the best price.  The goal is to make the entire experience be as smooth as possible, but because we are juggling so many moving parts, patience and understanding is needed.

As you can see you are the one that has total say and control over a given design project.  A designer’s job is to be OPEN to hear your needs and wants and hopefully you as a client can be OPEN too.  OPEN to hear about new ideas that you might not have considered for your given design project.  When the words “I would have never thought of that”, is spoken during a design consultation that is music to any designer’s ears.  That’s when we as designers know that we have done our job.

The Art of Paint…

Many are confused about selecting the right paint color for their home.

We have experienced a sea of neutral paint tones for the last 15 years.  In fact it has been a sea of beige for a long time now.  Neutral still reigns, but the next fresh color direction are shades of white and gray.

The difficulty comes into play, even when we are thinking of selecting such simple colors of gray and white; and that issue is… the undertones.

So when you are selecting white paint place a black piece of paper under the color chips that you are considering to make sure that certain shades that you like do not have red or blue undertones.

When working with gray use a sheet of white paper to see how those read.

Then after you have narrowed it down…purchase a sample amount.

Apply color with brush to several walls to see how the light reflects off each individual shade before you make your final choice.

These steps will help you find that PERFECT shade for your own individual home.

Happy Painting!

Chic and Cozy Bedroom…

I always decorate the bedroom first…for so many reasons.

Mainly because it is your ULTIMATE sanctuary and it needs to be cozy, comfortable and most of all relaxing!

So many factors can play into creating a chic and cozy room no matter the budget.  Yes, it is more challenging to create the right balance of being chic and practical…but it can absolutely be done with a tight budget.

Here are some of the areas that you need to work on when bringing together your bedroom no matter the budget.

1.  Lighting-Make sure that your nightstands or bedside pieces have table lamps.  Watch the scale…too small and not in proportion to the bed may look…CHEAP!  Ceiling fixtures-try not leave an inexpensive fixture such as builder grade up.  If your in a rental…either remove it (temporarily) or use my favorite trick of all by placing a lampshade over the existing fixture. Obviously this depends on the actual fixture, but look for an over-sized lampshade preferably a drum…and Voila!

2. Sheets and duvet…first off if you are still using a top sheet then you might want to try considering eliminating it…just make sure that your duvet is washable.  Try using two duvets…especially important for the “his and her” aspect…then no need to worry about cover hogs.  Plus, try using cross coordinating duvets with two or more patterns on the bed, this is extremely eye catching.

3. Drapes…hang the rod at the highest point…to the ceiling so that allows the window to appear larger.  If you can have custom….obviously have them properly measured to hang correctly.  If using panels, then make sure that you use several panels on each side and use two colors, attaching the second color like a band on the bottom of the main color panels in order to extend the length to the floor.  Because most pre-made panels are only able to be purchased at one length.

4. You are creating an atmosphere, use candles, throws, wall decor, elements of nature-it is all about layers.  Create interest with the wall behind the headboard with color, tone or texture because that is the impact wall.

5.  My last tip is to have the bed look like you can jump into at any second…and not looking like it needs velvet ropes around it…so that no one will touch it.  You want the room to be welcoming…especially after a long day at work!  Clutter kills cozy…and I’m not into perfect room settings by any means.  I LOVE an artfully designed area of piled books and stuff; but stacks of clothes, papers, and just general catch all things need to be put away!  Or at least have a Monica’s closet (from Friends) you know that place where you stash everything, and hope that you never have to open the door for awhile.

Minor Upgrades Major Change…

Spray old black shelves with a fresh coat of GOLD!

Great for the those non-committal types…paper thin wood sheeting and mount on wall!

Curtain rods mounted on ceiling for canopy bed style feel.

Inexpensive picture frames around switch plates!  Clever!

Stuck with vinyl floors can’t afford to change them?  Paint them!

Add inexpensive door mirrors to plain closet doors…Voila! French door feel!

Frame out those plain builder grade mirrors for a huge impact!

Holy Paint Chips…

Art created from paint chips…yep…paint chips!  Meet a master Peter Combe.

But for you DIY’ers…

Easy and still fabulous!